Coral Triangle
- Coral Triangle Photo
- ©Y. Herdiana
No place in the world can compete with the Coral Triangle for sheer number of marine species. At 2.5 million square miles, the region stretches from western Indonesia thousands of miles eastwards to the Fijian Islands. The Coral Triangle is home to more than 500 species of reef-building corals and over 3,000 species of fish, from pygmy seahorses to whale sharks. Many fish come to these warm, sheltered waters to spawn, including more than a third of the world’s tuna. Millions of coastal inhabitants in the Coral Triangle depend on the health of its diverse marine ecosystems for their livelihoods.
Fiji’s coral reefs are renowned worldwide and are among the
more diverse and intact in the Pacific Ocean. Strong
cultural traditions and a national commitment to expanding the country’s marine protected areas offer outstanding
opportunities for conservation in the face of persistent challenges.
The Indonesian archipelago lies at the heart of the world-renowned Coral Triangle. Its reefs encompass
more than 500 species of corals and shelter an astounding
10,000 species of invertebrates and plants. The Coral
Triangle is also a crucial source of income for millions of Indonesians and
others.
The reefs of Papua New Guinea, part of the Coral Triangle, remain relatively healthy, despite coastal
communities’ long-term dependence upon them for food and livelihoods.
However, a growing population and an expanding
export trade for wild-caught fish are putting new
pressures on the fragile marine ecosystems.